Lithography is the process of printing from specially prepared surfaces, some areas of which are capable of accepting lithographic ink, whereas other areas, when moistened with water, will not accept the ink. The areas which accept ink form the printing image areas and the ink-rejecting areas form the background areas.
In the art of photolithography, a photographic material is made imagewise receptive to oily or greasy ink in the photo-exposed (negative working) or in the non-exposed areas (positive working) on a hydrophilic background.
In the production of common lithographic plates, also called surface litho plates or planographic printing plates, a support that has affinity to water or obtains such affinity by chemical treatment is coated with a thin layer of a photosensitive composition. Coatings for that purpose include light-sensitive polymer layers containing diazo compounds, dichromate-sensitized hydrophilic colloids and a large variety of synthetic photopolymers. Particularly diazo-sensitized systems are widely used.
Upon imagewise exposure of such light-sensitive layer the exposed image areas become insoluble and the unexposed areas remain soluble. The plate is then developed with a suitable liquid to remove the diazonium salt or diazo resin in the unexposed areas.
On the other hand, methods are known for making printing plates involving the use of imaging elements that are heat sensitive rather than photosensitive. A particular disadvantage of photosensitive imaging elements such as described above for making a printing plate is that they have to be shielded from the light. Furthermore they are less suited for computer-to-plate imaging. The trend towards heat sensitive printing plate precursors is clearly seen on the market.
For example, EP-A 952022871.0, 952022872.8, 952022873.6 and 952022874.4 disclose a method for making a lithographic printing plate comprising the steps of (1) image-wise exposing to light a heat sensitive imaging element comprising (i) on a hydrophilic surface of a lithographic base an image forming layer comprising hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer particles dispersed in a hydrophilic binder and (ii) a compound capable of converting light to heat, said compound being comprised in said image forming layer or a layer adjacent thereto; (2) and developing a thus obtained image-wise exposed element by rinsing it with plain water.
EP-A 625728 discloses a lithographic plate with an image forming layer which is UV- and IR-sensitive which can be as well positive as negative working. Said image forming layer comprises (1) a resole resin, (2) a novolac resin, (3) a latent Bronsted acid and (4) an IR absorber. By exposing with UV or IR (830 nm) light followed by a classical PS-plate development a positive working lithographic plate is obtained. If the plate is baked (60 seconds at 100.degree. C.) before the development step a negative working printing plate is obtained.
EP-A-483,693 discloses a photosensitive colored resin composition for the formation of colored images, including (a) a resib-based material hardenable with an acid, (b) a photoreactive acid-releasing agent and (c) a pigment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,925 discloses a positive working printing plate comprising a light sensitive composition comprising (1) an alkali-soluble novolac resin and an onium-salt and optionally an IR spectral sensitizing dye. By exposing with UV, visible or IR light followed by a development step with an alkali solution there is obtained a positive working printing plate.